Successful Nonprofits Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

It’s the last week of August, and the lights are off here at Successful Nonprofits®. We have no meetings this week; the podcast and social media are scheduled in advance. And we’re off the computer and off the phone. You know why? Because we’re off having fun and enjoying our rest week!

Since we’re on self-care rest week right now, it felt appropriate that we run this encore episode with Kevin Greer, the Chief Administrative Officer at New Profit, about the transformative power of incorporating rest weeks into your nonprofit’s annual calendar. 

As nonprofit professionals, we often push ourselves to the limit, but Kevin shares how New Profit’s Radical Reset — a full week where the organization completely shuts down — helps to combat burnout and boost creativity. He discusses the implementation process, the benefits of collective rest, and how rest can be equitably designed for all staff members.

This week, as the Successful Nonprofits® team takes our own rest week, we encourage you to consider planning one for your organization next year, especially during a slower period like the last week of August. While acknowledging this may not be feasible for organizations providing 24/7 or emergency response services, the benefits for your team could be profound. 

This episode answers the following questions:

• Why is a rest period critical for nonprofit staff?
• How does collective rest differ from individual vacation time?
• What are the steps to successfully implement a rest week?

Links mentioned in this episode:

• The Radical Act of Rest by Tulaine Montgomery
• How Fundraisers Can Get Off the Road to Exhaustion and Burnout by Emily Haynes
• We Are for Good: Unlocking the Impact of Proximate Leadership
• New Profit’s Website

Looking for more? Check out these amazing episodes:

• Ep 200: Self-Care Tips for Coming Out Stronger with Beth Kanter
  [Episode Title on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website with show notes]
• Ep 295: Tips for Making Your Dream Sabbatical a Reality with Emily Raskin
  [Episode Title on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website with show notes]

Are you losing new donors due to uninspired thank-you emails? Join our conversation with Lisa Fernandez as she shares her expertise in crafting effective email sequences to build lasting relationships with donors.

Learn how to engage your audience with personalized and automated emails, harness the power of storytelling, and create lead magnets that resonate.

Whether you're a seasoned nonprofit professional or new to email marketing, Lisa's insights will help you boost donor retention and elevate your email game. 

This episode answers the following questions:

• How can I increase my donor retention?
• Why is email sequencing important for donor retention?
• How can I create an effective donor email sequence?
• What are some creative lead magnets for attracting and engaging donors?
• How can I improve the effectiveness of the CTA in my emails?

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Lisa Fernandez Agency
• Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn

Looking for more? Check out these amazing episodes:

• Episode 181: How to Write Effective Copy that Gets Noticed with Nicki Krawczyk 
  [Episode Title on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website with show notes]
• Episode 246: Attention-Grabbing Marketing with Dan Schepleng
  [Episode Title on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website with show notes]

In honor of Juneteenth this week, we are re-sharing Kia Croom’s episode on fostering inclusion in your organization.  

When the country shut down in March 2020, Kia Croom realized the shift to remote work also shifted justice, equity, and inclusion dynamics. Racial discrimination, racial trauma, and microaggressions didn’t go away, they just changed a little. And now they were happening in her home. 

Since then, Kia has been working to disrupt and challenge the norms that lead to lack of inclusion in the nonprofit sector. She joins us today to share why this is an essential conversation for your own nonprofit and steps leadership can take to build an inclusive organization.

This episode answers the following questions:

• How did COVID and working remotely impact justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion dynamics?
• How can I help my nonprofit be more inclusive?
• What does an inclusive organization look like?

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Kia’s Website
• Fundraising in Black Website

Looking for more? Check out these other amazing episodes:

• Women in Nonprofits with Jess Cooper on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website with show notes
• Become a Competitive (and Equitable) Employer with Kevin Dean Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website with show notes

Mary discusses how nonprofit leaders can step back from the daily fires to find the space to think about and plan for the future.

Shanice discusses simple ways you can structure and automate your nonprofit’s back office so you can focus on your mission and impact.

In this New Year’s episode, we gear up for 2023 with a discussion about New Year’s resolutions and likely trends of the coming year.

In this holiday encore, we revisit 2022's most popular episode with Lauren Kent-Delany --- all about finding extraordinary interns, from recruitment to interviews to orientation.

Gorick discusses the unspoken rules and expectations around job performance.

Terrell discusses why it’s important to hire formerly incarcerated people and what structural changes your nonprofit can make to be more inclusive and equitable in its recruitment, hiring, and promotion practices.

Jim discusses why it is important to be brave at work and baby steps we can all take to speak up when critical moments arise.